Amy Crosson

Amy Crosson
Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

Biography:

Research Interests: 

  • Classroom-based interventions to support development of academic language, reading comprehension, and argumentation skills of multilingual learners in public school settings
  • Assessment of word knowledge, text comprehension, and classroom discourse

Recent Publications:

Crosson, A.C., Kieffer, M.J., McKeown, M.G., & Nagy, W. (2025). Cross-language morphological analysis improves academic word learning for multilingual adolescents. Scientific Studies of Reading, 29(1). 55-84 [Special issue on the science of teaching reading.] 10.1080/10888438.2024.2415916

Carlson, M. & Crosson, A.C. (2025). The synchronic status of historical bound roots in the mental lexicon: A dynamic, psychocentric perspective. The Mental Lexicon, 19(2). 224-252.

Crosson, A.C., Correnti, R., Matsumura, L.C. & McKeown, M.G. (2024). Effects of the Triple Q intervention on argument writing: Findings from a small-scale cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 17(3), 590โ€“613. 10.1080/19345747.2023.2231941

Shen,Y., Lei, P. & Crosson, A.C. (2023). Measuring derivational awareness for     Chinese-speaking adolescents.โ€ฏ Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2, 1-14. 10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100039

Shen, Y.* & Crosson, A.C. (2023). Chinese adolescents learning to read in English: How do different types of morphological awareness contribute to vocabulary knowledge and comprehension? Reading and Writing.10.1007/s11145-022-10292-4

Crosson, A.C., Tapu, C. & McKeown M.G. (2022). Think like a linguist: Leveraging multilingual studentsโ€™ expertise about language. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 65, 481-493. 10.1002/jaal.1226 [Also selected for JAALโ€™s Literacy Insights resource for the issue on Disciplinary Literacy: English Language Arts] Crosson, A.C. & Silverman, R.D. (2022). Impact of COVIDโ€19 on early literacy instruction for emergent bilinguals, Reading Research Quarterly, 57. 5-14. 10.1002/rrq.456 

Ardasheva, Y., Crosson, A.C., French, B.F. & Carbonneau, K.J. (2021). Unpacking contributions of morphosyntactic awareness and vocabulary to science reading comprehension among linguistically diverse students, TESOL Quarterly. 10.1002/tesq.3039

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Lei, P., Zhao, H.*[1], Li, X.*, Patrick, K. & Brown, K. & Shen, Y.* (2021). Morphological analysis skill and vocabulary knowledge are malleable through intervention and may contribute to reading comprehension for multilingual adolescents.  Journal of Research in Reading, 44, 154-174. 10.1111/1467-9817.12323

Crosson, A.C., Hughes, E.M., Blanchette, F. & Thomas, C. (2020).Whatโ€™s the point? Emergent bilingualsโ€™ understanding of multiple-meaning words that carry everyday and discipline-specific mathematical meanings. Reading and Writing Quarterly36, 84-103. 10.1080/10573569.2020.1715312

Crosson, A.C., Lei, P., Cheng, W.*[1] & McKeown, M.G. (2020). The curious role of morphological family size in problem solving of unfamiliar words. Scientific Studies of Reading. doi: 10.1080/10888438.2019.1701475.

Crosson, A.C., Mckeown, M.G., Robbins, K. & Brown, K. (2019). Key elements of robust vocabulary instruction for emergent bilingual adolescents.  Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50. 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-VOIA-18- 0127

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., & Ward, A.K. Jr. (2019). An innovative approach to assessing depth of knowledge of academic words. Language Assessment Quarterly, 16, 196-216. 10.1080/15434303.2019.1612899

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Moore, D.W. & Ye, F. (2019). Extending the bounds of morphology instruction:  Word analysis using Latin roots facilitates academic word learning for English Learner adolescents. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32, 689โ€“727. 10.1007/s11145-018-9885-y

McKeown, M.G., Crosson, A.C., Moore, D.W. & Beck, I.B. (2018). Word knowledge and comprehension effects of an academic vocabulary intervention for middle school students. American Educational Research Journal, 55, 572-616. 10.3102/0002831217744181

Crosson, A.C. & Moore, D.W. (2017). When to take up roots: The effects of morphology instruction for middle school and high school English Learners at three grade bands. Reading Psychology, 38, 262-288. 10.1080/07370008.2016.1145121

Crosson, A.C. & McKeown, M.G. (2016). Middle school learnersโ€™ use of Latin roots to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words. Cognition and Instruction, 34, 148- 171. 10.1080/07370008.2016.1145121

Lawrence, J. F., Crosson, A.C., Parรฉ-Blagoev, E. J., & Snow, C. (2015). Word Generation randomized trial: Discussion mediates the impact of program treatment on academic word learning. American Educational Research Journal, 52, 750-786. 10.3102/0002831215579485

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2013). Connectives: Fitting another piece of the vocabulary instruction puzzle. The Reading Teacher, 67, 193-200. 10.1002/TRTR.1197

McKeown, M.G., Crosson, A.C., Sandora, C., Artz, N. & Beck, I.B. (2013). In the media: Expanding studentsโ€™ experience with academic vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 67, 45-53. 10.1002/TRTR.1179

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2013). Does knowledge of connectives play a special role in the reading comprehension of English learners and English-only students? Journal of Research in Reading, 36, 241-260. 10.1111/j.1467- 9817.2011.01501.x

Crosson, A.C., Matsumura, L.C., Correnti, R.J. & Guerrero-Arlotta, A. (2012). The quality of writing tasks and English language learnersโ€™ use of academic language in Spanish.  [Special issue on academic language].  Elementary School Journal, 112, 469-496. 10.1086/663298

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2010). Revisiting assumptions about the relationship of fluent reading to comprehension: Spanish-speakersโ€™ text-reading fluency in English. Reading and Writing, 23, 475-494. 10.1007/s11145-009-9168-8

Lesaux, N.K., Crosson, A.C., Kieffer, M.J. & Pierce, M. (2010). Uneven profiles: Language minority learnersโ€™ word reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 475-483. 10.1016/j.appdev.2010.09.004

[1] Single asterisk marks co-author who was a graduate student at time of submission. Double asterisk marks co-author who is a K-12 educator.

Learn about English Learnersโ€™ Robust Academic Vocabulary Encounters

 

Research Interests: 

  • Classroom-based interventions to support development of academic language, reading comprehension, and argumentation skills of multilingual learners in public school settings
  • Assessment of word knowledge, text comprehension, and classroom discourse

Recent Publications:

Crosson, A.C., Kieffer, M.J., McKeown, M.G., & Nagy, W. (2025). Cross-language morphological analysis improves academic word learning for multilingual adolescents. Scientific Studies of Reading, 29(1). 55-84 [Special issue on the science of teaching reading.] 10.1080/10888438.2024.2415916

Carlson, M. & Crosson, A.C. (2025). The synchronic status of historical bound roots in the mental lexicon: A dynamic, psychocentric perspective. The Mental Lexicon, 19(2). 224-252.

Crosson, A.C., Correnti, R., Matsumura, L.C. & McKeown, M.G. (2024). Effects of the Triple Q intervention on argument writing: Findings from a small-scale cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 17(3), 590โ€“613. 10.1080/19345747.2023.2231941

Shen,Y., Lei, P. & Crosson, A.C. (2023). Measuring derivational awareness for     Chinese-speaking adolescents.โ€ฏ Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 2, 1-14. 10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100039

Shen, Y.* & Crosson, A.C. (2023). Chinese adolescents learning to read in English: How do different types of morphological awareness contribute to vocabulary knowledge and comprehension? Reading and Writing.10.1007/s11145-022-10292-4

Crosson, A.C., Tapu, C. & McKeown M.G. (2022). Think like a linguist: Leveraging multilingual studentsโ€™ expertise about language. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 65, 481-493. 10.1002/jaal.1226 [Also selected for JAALโ€™s Literacy Insights resource for the issue on Disciplinary Literacy: English Language Arts] Crosson, A.C. & Silverman, R.D. (2022). Impact of COVIDโ€19 on early literacy instruction for emergent bilinguals, Reading Research Quarterly, 57. 5-14. 10.1002/rrq.456 

Ardasheva, Y., Crosson, A.C., French, B.F. & Carbonneau, K.J. (2021). Unpacking contributions of morphosyntactic awareness and vocabulary to science reading comprehension among linguistically diverse students, TESOL Quarterly. 10.1002/tesq.3039

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Lei, P., Zhao, H.*[1], Li, X.*, Patrick, K. & Brown, K. & Shen, Y.* (2021). Morphological analysis skill and vocabulary knowledge are malleable through intervention and may contribute to reading comprehension for multilingual adolescents.  Journal of Research in Reading, 44, 154-174. 10.1111/1467-9817.12323

Crosson, A.C., Hughes, E.M., Blanchette, F. & Thomas, C. (2020).Whatโ€™s the point? Emergent bilingualsโ€™ understanding of multiple-meaning words that carry everyday and discipline-specific mathematical meanings. Reading and Writing Quarterly36, 84-103. 10.1080/10573569.2020.1715312

Crosson, A.C., Lei, P., Cheng, W.*[1] & McKeown, M.G. (2020). The curious role of morphological family size in problem solving of unfamiliar words. Scientific Studies of Reading. doi: 10.1080/10888438.2019.1701475.

Crosson, A.C., Mckeown, M.G., Robbins, K. & Brown, K. (2019). Key elements of robust vocabulary instruction for emergent bilingual adolescents.  Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50. 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-VOIA-18- 0127

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., & Ward, A.K. Jr. (2019). An innovative approach to assessing depth of knowledge of academic words. Language Assessment Quarterly, 16, 196-216. 10.1080/15434303.2019.1612899

Crosson, A.C., McKeown, M.G., Moore, D.W. & Ye, F. (2019). Extending the bounds of morphology instruction:  Word analysis using Latin roots facilitates academic word learning for English Learner adolescents. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32, 689โ€“727. 10.1007/s11145-018-9885-y

McKeown, M.G., Crosson, A.C., Moore, D.W. & Beck, I.B. (2018). Word knowledge and comprehension effects of an academic vocabulary intervention for middle school students. American Educational Research Journal, 55, 572-616. 10.3102/0002831217744181

Crosson, A.C. & Moore, D.W. (2017). When to take up roots: The effects of morphology instruction for middle school and high school English Learners at three grade bands. Reading Psychology, 38, 262-288. 10.1080/07370008.2016.1145121

Crosson, A.C. & McKeown, M.G. (2016). Middle school learnersโ€™ use of Latin roots to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words. Cognition and Instruction, 34, 148- 171. 10.1080/07370008.2016.1145121

Lawrence, J. F., Crosson, A.C., Parรฉ-Blagoev, E. J., & Snow, C. (2015). Word Generation randomized trial: Discussion mediates the impact of program treatment on academic word learning. American Educational Research Journal, 52, 750-786. 10.3102/0002831215579485

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2013). Connectives: Fitting another piece of the vocabulary instruction puzzle. The Reading Teacher, 67, 193-200. 10.1002/TRTR.1197

McKeown, M.G., Crosson, A.C., Sandora, C., Artz, N. & Beck, I.B. (2013). In the media: Expanding studentsโ€™ experience with academic vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 67, 45-53. 10.1002/TRTR.1179

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2013). Does knowledge of connectives play a special role in the reading comprehension of English learners and English-only students? Journal of Research in Reading, 36, 241-260. 10.1111/j.1467- 9817.2011.01501.x

Crosson, A.C., Matsumura, L.C., Correnti, R.J. & Guerrero-Arlotta, A. (2012). The quality of writing tasks and English language learnersโ€™ use of academic language in Spanish.  [Special issue on academic language].  Elementary School Journal, 112, 469-496. 10.1086/663298

Crosson, A.C. & Lesaux, N.K. (2010). Revisiting assumptions about the relationship of fluent reading to comprehension: Spanish-speakersโ€™ text-reading fluency in English. Reading and Writing, 23, 475-494. 10.1007/s11145-009-9168-8

Lesaux, N.K., Crosson, A.C., Kieffer, M.J. & Pierce, M. (2010). Uneven profiles: Language minority learnersโ€™ word reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 475-483. 10.1016/j.appdev.2010.09.004

[1] Single asterisk marks co-author who was a graduate student at time of submission. Double asterisk marks co-author who is a K-12 educator.

Learn about English Learnersโ€™ Robust Academic Vocabulary Encounters

 

Amy  Crosson